WERU boosts signal range to Bangor, Waterville

ORLAND, Maine — WERU Community Radio 89.9 FM has begun broadcasting north toward Greater Bangor and west toward Waterville with a much stronger signal than ever before.

This change came after the Federal Communications Commission approved the station’s request to reconfigure its antenna in Blue Hill and improve its signal northward and westward.

“We are very excited to be better able to serve the Greater Bangor area as well as further to the north and west,” General Manager Matt Murphy said in a prepared release. “Over the years we have had some volunteers and listener-members from those edge regions of our broadcast area but now we look forward to welcoming many more.”

WERU’s signal has always been strong from Hancock County to eastern Lincoln County along the coast, according to Murphy. But inland toward Bangor, WERU’s signal has been weak on its 89.9 FM frequency.

Before the change in the signal, which took place last week, WERU broadcast on a supplementary frequency at 102.9 FM in Bangor using a small FM transmitter that radiated 50 watts of power. That resulted in a signal that covered only a small portion of the Bangor area.

Now WERU is broadcasting at 89.9 FM to Greater Bangor with 12,000 watts, as well as westward toward Augusta and Waterville. Many listeners in Bangor are able to hear the station better than before; others, in communities such as Dover-Foxcroft and Skowhegan, are able to receive the WERU broadcasts for the first time.

WERU continues to broadcast at 102.9 FM in downtown Bangor, and this signal too has improved as a result of the change to the 89.9 FM antenna.